Stewart Donaldson (SNP) Strathearn

Reasons to be grateful Cllr Stewart Donaldson

First of all I would like to wish you all a good new year.

Hopefully, 2021 will turn out far better than the last 12 months.

For many the festive season will not be the easiest of times – above all missing loved ones – but looking ahead I believe there are now grounds for guarded optimism, even given the news over recent days about the new variant of the virus.

The next few months will continue to be very difficult indeed, but at last there is real hope.

Clearly, restrictions will have to continue for some time. Much will depend on progress with the vaccination programme.

Yet, I thought the words of Seamus Heaney, as quoted by the First Minister recently, were so apt.“If we winter this one out, we can summer anywhere.”

Life will improve. We will see a return to normality. On a personal basis, I’m not sure what will happen at Hogmanay.

I suspect come midnight I may be raising my glass to several of my closest friends via Zoom!

I can’t thank enough the dedication shown by frontline workers: both in the NHS, and in care homes.

There are so many more to be grateful to, not least those who have contributed in terms of community support over recent months.

Not to be forgotten are the employees at Perth and Kinross Council. So often they have gone above and beyond.

And in the bleak midwinter it’s not all doom and gloom. For Crieff and Strathearn there is a lot to look forward to.

The recent council decision to allocate £100k to Creative Crieff will go a long way to boosting its application to the Scottish Government’s Regeneration Capital Grant Fund.

What Creative Crieff has done so far is outstanding. I wish them all success.

On the Strathearn Hotel finally we might have a resolution. The building is not just an awful eyesore, it’s also a clear fire and safety risk.

And let’s hope we can make further progress on the Drummond Arms. Perhaps even on speed restrictions. And on the Murray Fountain.

I also want a further update from Scottish Water on Sauchie Road.

There was also good news for Comrie, as it has been chosen as one of the new locations for Wi-Fi.

For the year ahead we need to take a real step forward on the Crieff to Comrie Core Path, and on the Shaky Bridge. We also need to know the latest on the Comrie Flood Defence Scheme.

For St Fillans the clear priority must be that by May there is a clear plan in place for the issues surrounding“dirty camping”. The council and the national park authority are liaising on this. We can’t repeat what happened last summer.

And I’m not overlooking Gilmerton. I’ve always thought the community there misses out. There is a need for a community hub.

For now, though, kindest regards to you all and take care.